WELL... b4 work 2day (i was called in on the fly) i called a wrekka stow across from work. someone on my Aussie Prince site told me they had it for only AU$27.
i called in b4 work & the guy working there said he liked it,& was very surprised 2 know about Xpectation.i said i'd lend him a copy for him to hear.
when i got 2 the office i opened the wrapper... it was like a religious experience.
it felt so great to say "i just bought the NEW PRINCE ALBUM!" again.

ok,so i got home from work & the local football club about 90misn ago,& while eating dinner at the computer desk,i put it on.

first few seconds of *North* & with that bass & lil swirls of guitar... the synth... i thought "ah yes! this is what i like!"
North held me.Seeing that East was coming up & that lil sample on NPGMC being what had me starving for this album...
i was glad.

i LOVE *East*!
the oriental vibe,the 'chime'-ish sounds...
just gorgeous,sexy,romantic.
those bursts of guitar r asskickers! . . . .

*West*...again very romantic (11:35 mark of West sounds very familliar.perhaps part of a Madhouse track?... i 4get exactly which one.)
West is again,like East & the songs 'tokyo'/'osaka',&parts of Xpectation... the thing i love most from Prince's instrumental music.

We get to South... & the funk really hits!
you're awake now,out of your dreamscape & the head starts bobbin' & bangin.
then we break it back down & the electro sounds & John's drums seduct u.
The expereince ends with synths & a piano,tenderly saying goodbye


Little things i love:

Eric's sax is breathtaking.
the bursts of guitar complimanting Eric Leeds' playing.
the drums sounding phat.
Rhonda's bass at the start of North is killer.
that guitar solo in West is fuckin awesome!


Final wrap up:
The major problem is,that it sounds too much like what it actually is: improvised jamming.It is hard on the first listen to get away from that fact & just hear it as the musical wonderment it is.
Also the breaks,4 instance,in the 2nd half of *North*... it feels like P has called the band 2 break it down & he is trying 2 work out where 2 go from there.Which is sad really.However since it is 'improvised' (or loosely planned) perhaps i should expect that?
It doesn't sound like Xpectation,where u have those tracks & the r going somewhere.u feel a theme going on.
Here,it feels more like,sure its beautiful,but it is just showing off musicianship. (ok right now i have dited this post 5 times & am listening to *North* again.... & teh vibe of 'improvised jamming' is slowly going away )

On my 2nd listen... u start 2 lose yourself in it & u dont really care.
I know when i hear this on my discman with a very good set of headphones,i will find things i haven't from my PC Speakers (which r not exactly shabby in their own right)

It maybe like TRC for me,... in the sense that it took me 12months to finally dig it all the way or have teh guts to say "nope,it just didnt do it".
(as im typing this i am hearing *West* again & it's killing me!)

It sounds like the perfect romantic album.
its the kind of album u could drown in while spending time with a loved one.
Also like TRC was/is 4 me,this could be a 'headphone album'.

In general Album ratings,i give it a 7.5/10 (subject to change in the next few hours as i hear it more)

In My own personal 'instrumental' ratings,i give it 9.5/10
This is the kind of album i have been after from P (i also said this when i heard Xpectation.)
now that he has given me 2 albums in this kind of vein, (tho they r both VERY different) i want my Electric Guitar album now.

Like i said,i have just been stting hear typing away & playing it on my WMP.When i bust out the headphones & a candle soon i will really know.

,
Joshy
xoxo

the 'yes we have 4 copies in stock' edit
[This message was edited Thu Aug 14 6:42:51 PDT 2003 by Joshy]

like many have said before, this is the type of album that gets better and better with each listen...enjoy...

Cool review bro!

dnaplaya said:

thanx man.

im hearing it more & these lil things r still popping up & smackin me in the face.
i'm lovin' it buddy

One of the few things that makes this album OK is Eric Leeds wonderful playing. You can even hear his fnigers workin' that sax in the first track. I LOVE to hear him wail so smoothly, and feel his horn playing is the ONLY one best-suited for Prince's style. I'm so glad he's back in the fold. He don't even need Maceo and Greg no mo'. Where's Atlanta Bliss while we're at it?? lol

This album is all right for what it is, a Madhouse-style album (hardcore fans have been dying to get their hands on Madhouse records for years, and he knows this), so he probably figured he'd officially release something similar yet new. It's pretty much just chillin' music, nothing to blast in the ride and funk out to.

my only bad thought about it was that it took me about 20 minutes to open

muirdo said:

yeah u gotta b careful not 2 scratch the cd with the pointy edges too

I have been playing this and The Avenue non-stop the past few days.Also,"8" from Madhouse.I love NEWS

it shits all over TheWar,thats all i can say.



oh wait,so does NPS


(bad choice of comparison maybe?)
[This message was edited Thu Aug 14 8:58:15 PDT 2003 by Joshy]